The Red Heifer - The Ordinance and the Mystery!

The Red Heifer is one of the mysteries in the Torah that noone can understand. The Israel sages comment-even Solomon, who understood it all could not understand what this Red heifer stood for.

People who encountered death had to be clean- this was the prime reason for which the Red Heifer was introduced. The Red heifer had to be burnt and the ashes had to be put in the water of cleansing. Then Hyssop had to be used to apply it on those who became unclean.

The mystery here is the priest who sacrifices the red heifer outside the camp and the person who takes the ashes become unclean during this process and a ceremonially clean man should collect the ashes and keep it a clean place.

"But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean.  This is a lasting ordinance for them.

“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening.  Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”(Numbers 19:20-22)

We can grasp the mystery of Red Heifer only when we see it in the light of Christ. Mankind became unclean due to the issue of death. Death came as a result of sin and priests were called to worship in the light of life. Through these chapters in the Book of Numbers we read how "frail " the priesthood of Israel was. Nadab and Abihu died in the first service led by Levites and we see in Numbers 20- the death of the first Priest Aaron.

"Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, "(Numbers 20:27)

Now we understand why Christ who conquered death became the source of life indestructible and how He cleans us from the illusion of death and breathes in us new life.

"For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.  And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears,  one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life."(Hebrews 7: 14-16)

Only the Lord Jesus can cleanse us from the power of death as He is the priest and He is the sacrifice and He rose again on high and is willing to give us life eternal when we put our trust in Him! He doesn't clean us by the ashes of a heifer, but by the power of His blood and His Word!

"For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement."(1 John 5:7-8)

Red Heifer is also a sign of the end times. We see a lot of activity around the Red Heifer in Israel these days. Let's worship our God who cleanses His church by the washing of the water by His Word.

"just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her  to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word"(Ephesians 5:25-26)

Pic courtesy: Temple Institute/ Times of Israel